


Casualties of War

by cassie_ether



Category: Bloodbound (Visual Novels)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:42:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29511978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassie_ether/pseuds/cassie_ether
Summary: Gaius uses Amy to turn the tide of war, knowing if he can break Adrian, the rest will all fall with him.
Relationships: Adrian Raines/Main Character (Bloodbound)
Kudos: 2





	Casualties of War

**Casualties of War**

**Summary:** Gaius uses Amy to turn the tide of war, knowing if he can break Adrian, the rest will all fall with him.

 **AN:** I only started reading Bloodhound a few days ago and got completely addicted to the characters. This is my first attempt at an Adrian/MC fic. It doesn't follow the plot of the game, but I've tried to keep the details as close as possible.

...

Adrian kneels in front of Amy, his heart hammering like it may well beat out of his chest as he takes in her slumped and bruised features. She's been missing seventy-two hours, a taunt from Gaius, and he catches the regretful shake of Kamilah's head, pressing his hand gently against Amy's shoulder as he rises up, bearing the full weight of suffering the woman he loves has been forced to endure.

Her wrists are shackled tightly behind her back, clamped in some kind of torture device, metal spikes digging into her cracked and rotting skin. She's a vampire now, impervious to human pain, but whatever Gaius has imprisoned her with, it's poisoning her supernatural side, spreading black spider-web streaks outwards from the device's teeth and preventing her from healing.

His eyes boil red, his emotions overcome by a rage worse than ravenous hunger, and he can feel himself slipping, the monster inside threatening to break out in a fury, when her soft voice penetrates his anger, dusting it to ash.

"A… Adrian?"

His fangs retract as he falls back, the fire within him morphing in an echo of his hatred for Gaius. His former mentor spent eons trying to force the darkness out of him, but Amy draws out the light. Her voice, even strained with pain, is like a siren call, speaking to the depths of his heart, and he cups her cheek, his touch tender as he strokes her sweaty skin. "I'm here." Gaius will pay, but his foremost concern, the strongest of his desires, is comforting the woman who's been to hell and back since meeting him. Part of him wishes he'd had the strength to debrief her. If he had, she wouldn't have fallen victim to Gaius' hand, _twice_ , but he's not going to lose her a second time.

Delirious, and not quite sure of herself, she tries to reach forward, biting back a cry as her wrists absorb the mistake.

He growls under his breath. Whatever the cuffs are tainted with, they're not just suppressing her physical powers, but her psychic abilities as well. Gaius' been keeping her mind trapped in a drug induced world of pain, and he snarls at Kamilah's hesitation. "Get them off her, _now!"_

She retaliates the demand with a frustrated and grim glare. She's witnessed Adrian kill for both reward and pleasure, watched as a flame of guilt sparked, turning into a wild-fire that was only tamed by his escaping and evolving compassion. But she's never seen the true scope of his emotions amplified by the power of love. Regret has changed him, age humbled him, but the Bloodkeeper has more influence over him than both. Amy has begun to heal his wounds, make him look to the future instead of always grappling with his past, and if he were to lose her now, she fears for his stability. Gaius obviously hopes the opposite—is delighting in his torment—and this is either a warning of what's to come or they're already too late and _this_ is the test; to have Amy die by either her or Adrian's hand, and she regards her brother with a forlorn frown. "We can't be sure of what will happen if I release her."

Adrian's lungs constrict, like they might snap under the weight of what to do. They breezed into the complex with little fight, and he knows Gaius _wanted_ him to see Amy like this. The man is cruel and vindictive, but this is Rheya's war, and there's still a chance she would want to keep the Bloodkeeper's memories alive. He has to believe that, have faith in Amy's strength, because he can't leave her here suffering. He _won't_. "Amy." He strokes her soft skin beneath his thumb, selfishly looking to her for answers, for a sign he's making the right choice.

"It hurts… _please_."

She gasps, her voice filled with agony, and he's witnessed firsthand how much she can withstand. They're out of time, and he snaps his decision at Kamilah. "Do it."

She breathes out, clutching the metal, and with all her strength she pries the restraints open, its teeth dripping with black blood as it clatters to the floor.

Amy lets out a spine-tingling howl, her body collapsing and slumping forward into Adrian's arms, and Kamilah's expression stays grave when the spider-like tendrils wrapped around Amy's wrists don't retract. "She needs blood."

Adrian swings her limp body up into his firm hold, his face twisting with anger but his insides painfully hollow as he grips her tightly. "Lets go."

He stalks forward, and Kamilah can sense the desperation radiating off him, the same irrational carelessness that overcame him the night Gaius plunged a sword through Amy's chest. He wasn't thinking straight when he turned her, and he's not thinking any clearer now, her worry rising as she matches his speed, barreling her way out into the darkness.

Adrian feels the rush of life as they leave the complex behind, human blood pumping louder and fiercer than it ever has before in his ears. Blood that Amy _needs_ . He doesn't know how much time she has, and his eyes lock with an elder gentleman, his feet stalling at the old man's hobble. He's killed for less. Torn out the throats of innocent people for sport, even _fun,_ but Kamilah grabs his arm with a sharp hiss.

"No!"

He snarls back, barely able to hear Amy's weakened heartbeat over the cry of blood calling out to him. "She needs—"

"To live without the guilt of taking an innocent life." Kamilah digs her nails into his skin. "She isn't like _us_ , Adrien."

 _She isn't tainted yet._ That's what Kamilah means, and his fangs retract with a growl. She's right. He turned Amy, robbed her of freewill, and she forgave him, having spared her judgment over the mistakes of his past, but she wouldn't forgive him for _this_ ; forcing her to drink without consent. He swore to protect her, and he failed, but she's still bound to the choices he makes, and he moves fast into the shadows, leaving the old man behind.

…

The Shadow Den is where they planned to regroup, and he bursts through the doors of the compound, meeting Jax and Lily's fearful expressions, the air thick with silent tension as Jax leads him through to the feeding parlor. They all know the cost of losing Amy, have suffered through her death before—buried her in the ground along with their hope. They won't win the war against Rheya without her, and watching her suffer, clinging to life only to lose it for a second time will break them all. Gaius _wanted_ this, but the man doesn't know Amy like does. If there's one thing left in this burning world he believes in, it's _her_ , and he lays her down gently, kneeling before her and meeting the gaze of the young teenager giving his consent to help. He swallows thickly. She could turn ravenous or the poison could infect him too, and Adrian reluctantly speaks on her behalf, ignoring his instincts because it's what she would want. "I don't know what will happen."

The kid nods, accepting the risk, as he just his arm out, stirring only a faint murder from the woman he loves. He takes hold of the teenager's scrawny wrist, piercing the skin with his fangs, and placing the dripping blood close to her mouth. "Amy, you need to feed."

She groans, her eyes staying shut but screwing up tightly, and he swipes the crimson with his thumb, smearing it across her lips until she tentatively sucks, and the kid steps in, wincing as she weakly latches onto his vein instead.

"That's it." He smooths down her hair, moisture pricking his gaze as she whimpers, letting go. She didn't drink nearly enough to return her strength, and he knows they're in for a long night, his worried attention diverting to the others collected behind him. "She's going to need to feed every hour, real blood."

"I'm on it." Lily swipes her eyes, her usually resilient humor falling by the wayside.

After healing the kid, Jax steps forward, trying to brush off the fear that's been welled in his chest since they split up to find her. The past seventy-two hours have been grueling, but Adrian's wearing them the worst, and he places a firm but gentle hand on the man's shoulder. "I'll stay with her. You should—"

"I'm _not_ leaving her."

Kamilah snorts at the surprise on the younger vampire's face. "Did you honestly think he would?"

Jax retracts his arm, heat flushing the back of his neck. There was time, when they all first met, he dared to read into Amy's kindness and comfort. He thought, _maybe_ , she might return his affections, but harmless flirting aside, her heart has only ever belonged to Adrian, and from what he's witnessed, she put her faith in a good man. "I'll get some blood bags, then."

Kamilah waits for him to exit, folding her arms with a sigh. "I loathe to say it, but he is right, Adrian. You're no use to her in this weakening state."

He pushes up off his knees, feeling Kamilah's concealed concern bore into him as he slumps beside Amy on the couch, gently drawing her head into his lap. The bags will be enough to sustain him, and he'll sleep when Amy's awake again. "I'll rest when I know she's going to be okay."

"And if she doesn't recover?" Her expression darkens as her eyes fall over the black tendrils curling around Amy's arms. She doesn't want to be the bearer of bad fate, but they have to be realistic. Gaius went after Amy to weaken them all, but they still have a war to fight.

"She _will_ ." He grinds his jaw firmly, staring down at Amy's prone form. Even as a human, he never saw her as vulnerable or frail. She looked him right in the eyes the night she found out what he truly is and didn't run or back down. Her place has always been by his side, and his by hers. "She _has_ to," he breathes, reaching for a blanket to cover her with.

She has to recover. 

Because he can't fight this war without her.

**TBC...**

  
  



End file.
